Southern California -- this just in

San Francisco approves nudity ban

What
started out as a discussion about whether people could stroll naked through
this liberal city's storied streets ended up Tuesday afternoon as a discussion
about the role of local government.

Faced
with complaints about a band of so-called Naked Guys gathering daily in the
Castro District, Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced legislation last month to
ban public nudity citywide, except for at permitted festivals and parades.

"This
legislation has strong support in the community," Wiener said to kick off
the discussion before Tuesday's vote. "I'm talking about support from
everyday citizens who live and work in this wonderful neighborhood."

The
stricture wasn't the brainchild of business owners, as some naturists have
claimed, nor did straight couples with children raise a fuss about freedom of
expression -- and freedom from clothing -- in the heart of gay San Francisco.

Nope,
"the dominant demographic expressing concern is gay men," Wiener told
his colleagues, as he implored them to expand on an earlier ordinance requiring
clothing in restaurants and a barrier between naked bodies and public seating.

But the
more progressive supervisors weren't buying it. Outgoing Supervisor Christina
Olague called the proposal "a solution in search of a problem."
Supervisor Eric Mar described the Naked Guys' behavior as "an isolated
community incident" and well below the level of what the august body
should be considering.

Supervisor
John Avalos played a clip from the movie "Catch 22" of a soldier
getting a medal in the nude because his uniform was covered with blood. He
called the Naked Guys' daily strolls "inconsequential nudity" and
said their impact was "meaningless."

Their
point: That one neighborhood's problem was just that. A body such as the
supervisors, they posited, had more weighty citywide matters to ponder.

Opponents
of the nudity ban cheered. But only briefly.

Because
when the final vote was taken, the supervisors cast their ballots 6 to 5 on Tuesday
to require clothing under most circumstances on the streets of San Francisco.

The Naked
Guys (and Gals) were not happy.

"It's
not a legitimate government!" one shouted. "You're voting against the
majority of the people," yelled another. "Shame!"